2014 Prediction League; Game 1 v Southend United (home)

[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

v


Southend United

2014/15 Prediction League Game 1; v Southend United (home)

I WAS going to start the thread – after “Welcome Back!” – with the observation that Southend didn’t break any pots in the transfer market over the summer …then, of course, they sign three more today (making six in all), and my opener’s gone for a bowl of chalk ……………… I do wish people wouldn’t do that!

Welcome Back, lovers of history, statistics, arithmetic, and all (football) things bizarre (you can write your own sub-text to that one!) to Season 5 of the Prediction League; onward and upward! …..

Southend United FC (“The Blues”, “The Shrimpers” or “The Seasiders” – do Everton, Morecambe and Blackpool know about this? ) was formed, it seems, on 19th May 1906 in the Blue Boar Pub on Victoria Avenue, Prittlewell, Southend; Southend, I am informed, was originally the south end of the Borough of Prittlewell, which gives all kinds of nickname scope (“Come on you Prittlewellians” ); now, Prittlewell is a simple district of the town ……….. Those who read last season’s thread (29th December – look it up) will recall that SarfEnd joined the League in 1920-21, finishing 17th (of 22) with 36 points from 42 games ……….. Given the jiggery-pokery that seemed to have gone on in the previous couple of seasons - Leeds City being disbanded by the FA following “alleged irregular practices” , and replaced by Port Vale (who took over their record up to that time – W2 D1 L1); the League being expanded from 20 to 22 clubs (Derby and Preston being promoted, Chelsea – victims, it is alleged of a fixed final game elsewhere , and thus in the relegation spots – being reprieved in 19th place, but Spurs, in 20th, being relegated because the then Liverpool Chairman apparently made an impassioned plea for Arsenal – 5th in League 2 - to be rewarded by promotion because of their “long service to the League” (and they’ve been in the top tier ever since!) – SarfEnd must have wondered what the devil was going on, but they’ve also survived; in their first season they were ok at home (W13 D2 L6) but pretty crap away (W1 D6 L14) – and long may it continue!

They were certainly one of the form sides at the end of last season, though; of their last 8 League games they won 6, drew one and lost just one, which took them from 8th place (53 points after 38 games) to 5th place (72 from 46). In their final League game they beat Burton 1-0 with a goal from leading scorer Barry Corr; they then played – yes, you guessed it – Burton in the playoffs, and managed a 1-0 loss away and a 2-2 draw at home …………… En route to the playoffs they took 4 points from us; a (very lucky) 1-1 draw on 29th December at Fortress Storage Boxes, and a 1-0 win on Easter Monday chez eux.

Their pre-season has been mixed; wins over Great Wakering Rovers (5-0), Billericay Town (3-1) and Colchester Utd (2-1); draws against Concord Rangers and QPR (both 0-0), and defeats to Ipswich (2-1) and Conference side Braintree by the same score; make of that what you can ………..

Out, in the summer, went “Legend” – a term used for any player who scores more than ten goals in his career – Freddie Eastwood (77 goals for SarfEnd), who joined from Gray’s Athletic in 2004, enjoyed successive promotions with the Blues, and then went to Wolves (for £1.5 million) and 12 months later to Coventry (for £1.2 million, before returning in 2012 and never, frankly, making it work a second time) ; in February they cancelled the contract of striker Craig Reid, who played for Cheltenham, Newport, Stevenage and Aldershot before joining Southend and lasting 6 months and 20 days (he went back to Stevenage! ) ………. Also gone are Grenada international winger Anthony Straker (25), who left after two seasons for the fleshpots of York; Scottish-born MF Marc Laird (28, Millwall, Leyton Orient) decamped for Tranmere, where he can create chances for Kayode Odejayi (?); and CB Mark Phillips (31) – no, not that one – who counts Millwall and Brentford on the cv - has gone off to be a Womble …………..but then, so has my favourite fatty forward YFB , who turned down Gillingham’s offer of a new contract into the bargain!

In came ex Charlton, Notts Co and Brentford winger Myles Weston (26); striker Lee Barnard (29) – who played for the Prittwellians until 2010, before setting sail for Southampton (setting sail? Get it? ), returned on loan last January, and tied the knot again (!) over the summer; and David Worrall (winger, 24), who those with long memories might remember on loan at our place from the Baggies – more recently of Oldham (loan), Bury and Rotherham (4 games in all there!); today, the headline-wreckers have recruited 19 year-old striker Isaac Layne (from Billericay Town – he impressed Phil Brown in the friendly in July (see above ) and they beat off interest (allegedly) from Charlton, Burnley and QPR to get him); they added Spurs’ striker Shaquile Coulthirst (19), and Danish CB Mads Ibenfeldt (29) joined from Akademisk Boldklub (from Gladsaxe, north of Copenhagen); he’s also played for Bronshoj Boldklub (“The Wasps” ) from Copenhagen, Silkeborg and NFC as well – but you knew that! They will, though, be without influential MF Michael Timlin (31) for 3 months after he dislocated an elbow in a game against Spurs; he also missed a big part of 2012/13 with a broken leg …………….not the luckiest guy around then ….

They seem to be prospective “mid-table” fodder this year, if you believe the bookies ……….we, on the other hand, are 10-1outsiders for automatic promotion (alongside Exeter, and ahead of the Daggers (12-1), Wycombe – for whom Peter Murphy spectacularly scored “from more than 30 yards” when they beat Barnet 1-0 in a friendly – who are also 12-1, and Morecambe (before there was any news of a “game-changing announcement on 7th September” ) are 14-1; for a top 7 finish we’re 8-1 alongside D&R, with Exeter, Morecambe and Wycombe on 9-1; and to be relegated we’re 5-1 favourites (alongside Morecambe), with Exeter and Wycombe on sixes, and Cambridge, Dagenham and the Wombles (despite having YFB and Matt Tubbs to bang then in up front) all 7-1; shows how much THEY know! In James We Trust!

Deadline for entries remains, of course, scheduled kick off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 9th August. We haven’t actually won many of our previous eight opening-day matches, so now would be a good time to start; don’t you think? Of course you do …………..

Good luck to everyone …………….Great to be back .................. thanks for playing ………………..and Keep The Faith!

[DaveinGermany]

Stanley 2 - 0 Sarf'end please D3N.

[accybeme]

Stanley 1 Southend 1 please

[cashman]

1-0 Stanley i think, a very tough opening few matches, but have great faith in what i seen so far.

[DAV007]

The famous Accrington Stanley 2 - 0 dawn sauth

[AccyMad]

2 - 1 to Stanley please .................... & roll on Saturday

[Wynonie Harris]

Starting off quietly with 1-0 to the Stanley.

[MikeA]

I'll go for a 1-0 home win too, please.

And thanks for running this for another season. This time I aim to reach page 1...

[accybeme]

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

Starting off quietly with 1-0 to the Stanley.

Wynonie must think we have a very poor squad this season, predicting only the one goal for the Stanley, or have we got an imposter, where are the 7-2 or 5-1 predicted score lines of yesteryear

[cashman]

Originally Posted by accybeme

Wynonie must think we have a very poor squad this season, predicting only the one goal for the Stanley, or have we got an imposter, where are the 7-2 or 5-1 predicted score lines of yesteryear

Stronger medication answers yer question.

[Outback Ozzy]

3-1 to Stanley for me please

[deeayess]

2 1 Stanley please

[smudgie]

Accrington Stanley 0-0 Southend United

[andyd]

Stanley 1-0 Southend

[Redash]

It can only go one way, 3-1 for The Stanley for please.